American Lung Association Supports Lung Disease Research to Build a Healthier Future

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association's Research Awards Nationwide 2012-2013 report highlights lung disease research supported by the organization that includes diseases affecting infants, children, and the elderly. These studies examine diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

The American Lung Association Nationwide Research Program funds high quality research, through its Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) and its Awards and Grants Program, with the goal of discovering effective prevention and treatment strategies as well as cures for lung disease. The Program supports laboratory and patient-centered research and is critical to the Lung Association's mission to improve lung health and prevent lung disease.

"These grants attract talented scientists who are invested in lung disease prevention and in improving the survival and quality of life for more than 34 million people living with lung disease," said Norman H. Edelman, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Lung Association.

In 2012-2013, the Lung Association is providing more than $5 million to support approximately 90 lung disease research projects. Previous medical advances made possible by the Lung Association's research contributions have shed new light on a multitude of devastating lung diseases.

One of the most problematic challenges clinicians face in the management of asthma is when a person is resistant to therapeutic effects of corticosteroid drugs, ordinarily the mainstay of treatment. As a result of the American Lung Association Biomedical Research Grant, Dr. Omar Tliba's research has shown how a key molecule of the inflammatory process may play a role in this resistance and, most importantly, has suggested that the resistance to corticosteroid treatment in asthma may be reversed by vitamin D.

The Lung Association jointly supports research initiatives with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; Chest Foundation; and the American Asthma Foundation.

Research Awards Nationwide 2012-2013 is available and searchable on the American Lung Association web site www.lung.org/research.

About the American Lung AssociationNow in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.Lung.org.